Empathy
by StandingOnTheRooftops
Summary: Eventual 4x1. Heero's forced to take a vacation, meets Duo's daughter, & gets captured by people thinking he's a billionaire. Could things get ANY more twisted up? Sister fic for APATHY. Adventure, drama, empathy, romance, and a lil of everything. CH 6 up
1. Operation: Soul Search

Rhythm Emotion Cycle

Empathy

This is the second instalment in what I'm calling the Rhythm Emotion Cycle. Apathy is the first, it is a 2x5 fic. This is a side-fic, happening before and during Apathy, but in a different place. This follows Heero and Quatre instead of Wufei and Duo. And it can be considered stand alone, so you don't have to read Apathy if you don't want to.

~{*}~

"Please excuse my enemies, I think they do not know;

"I will gladly self destruct, if they leave me alone.

"Friend, that's the end of us,

"Because you're behind in _empathy_ and overdue in trust."

**If and When We Rise Again, by Streetlight Manifesto**

"I'm already incomplete- I know you will cover me.

"Broken by your _empathy_- I know you will cover me.

"I've been lyin' here for weeks- I know you will cover me.

"Inside out and in between- And I know you will cover me."

**Medicate, by Breaking Benjamin**

~{*}~

Empathy: the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner

~~~~~{*}~~~~~

**Chapter One**

**Operation: Soul Search**

_(About two weeks before the beginning of Apathy)_

_"Heero," Relena smiled brightly at him, holding out her hand. "Come say hi to Ambassador Kai-Lin."_

That was how it started. Just one simple command, and now his name was once again linked with Relena's in 'Gossip Daily'.... again. Usually, Heero Yuy didn't concern himself with his public image, or with anything much at all. But when it affected his work by bringing reporters to his home, to his office, when it restricted his ability to move freely and quietly... that was it.

Relena was not a bad person. He liked her, she was a wonderful person. She just wanted *him* and he didn't want to be hers. He admitted he may have lead her on a little bit, but in his defense he hadn't known he was doing so. At least not until she'd informed the media they were engaged two years ago. That should have been the last straw, but she'd begged and pleaded with him- and as always, he'd relented.

But no more. Armed with nothing but a magazine with several *untrue* stories about him and his own forceful personality, he took off for Commander Une's office, ignoring everyone on his way.

Abigail, the meek little girl Une called a secretary, just cowered out of the way when he barged upt to the office, glaring daggers at anyone who dared say anything to him.

"I can't take this anymore," Heero snapped at his commanding officer as the brunette looked up when her door slammed open. "Look... I think Relena needs a new bodyguard."

"It's either her or deskwork," Une replied, hopping to have the former soldier repent and rethink. She knew how... relentless... the Vice Foreign Minister could be, but she'd also rather have Heero protecting her than anyone else. Despite his vow to never fire a gun, he'd proven himself *quite* capable of handling the job without using firepower.

"Then I'll take the damned desk," he growled. Une sighed, knowing that the 01 pilot was as stubborn as she. And knowing that if she put him at a desk, she'd loose one of her best agents. And over all of this, she had a rather motherly attitude towards the poor boy.

"Fine. I'll bring in Agent Cortez and set him there instead. Happy?"

"Ecstatic," was the dry response. Une sighed again. It had been five years since the last war, and a little over four since Heero had returned and become a Preventers agent. She'd held hopes that maybe Heero would mellow a bit, settle into peace and become not so solitary.

Oh, he'd changed a bit over the years. Surely. If anything, he'd become more of a loner, he'd become more volatile. He was a bit more vocal than he had been.... but considering the things that came out of his mouth Une debated on weather that was a good thing or not.

Time had come for Intervention. Something needed to change. Either his attitude... or something else. She could not go on working with an agent like this.

"Heero... you're not happy here. Just say it. The Preventers has lost it's appeal for you, hasn't it?"

The former pilot of the Wing Zero sighed, and Une caught just a hint of sadness flashing through those dark blue eyes.

"I'm.... bored," he said at last. "And Relena is driving me crazy. I mean, I like her and all... but this is out of hand. I thought she'd get over it by now."

Une shrugged. "Relena is... tenacious. She sets her sights on something and doesn't give up til she gets it. Its a good thing to have in the leader of our government... but it's a bad thing for you. Now... I'm going to give you four weeks paid leave. You haven't taken a vacation since you started to work here. I want you to rest... and use this time to think about what you really want. What you want in life... and if you're going to find that here. Will you do that for me?"

Heero looked about to object, but Une held up a hand.

"I can make that a command if you like. Just think of it as another mission. Operation: Soul-search, if you like." she added with a small smirk.

"Four weeks? What am I going to do... sit at my apartment all month?"

"Ah, it's a vacation, Heero. Go somewhere. You don't even have to stay on Earth. Go to the colonies. Do something. I heard that Quatre Winner is giving a gala on L4 this weekend. A charity event for the Maxwell Orphanage. I'm pretty sure you got an invite."

Heero nodded. He didn't actually think Quatre had personally sent the invite, since he hadn't talked to the blond Sandrock pilot in over three years. Rather, he assumed that all of the former Gundam pilots, and their comrades from the wars were on some sort of mailing list and got invites to nearly every function he held. Quatre Raberba Winner was a very busy man. No time for reminiscing on times everyone would rather forget.

"I guess," Heero said. He hadn't planned on going. He was forced to attend so many black-tie events- why volunteer to go to one? But, It would be nice to see space again. It had been awhile. And maybe, he might find some of his old comrades. See how they were doing.

Might as well, he figured. What was the worst that could happen? (1)

_***Five days later***_

Heero stared down at the two green bags. One was just a small, regular sized duffle bag. The other was slightly larger. The larger held most of what he'd need for his the rest of his three and a half week vacation- during which he didn't plan to return to Earth. The smaller held one change of clothes, a pair of sneakers, and a few other essentials. As he stared at the bags, he turned something over and over in his hands. It was smooth, with dull sort of sheen to it. Polished wood, carved into a smooth oval and threaded on a leather strip. It was relatively smooth, and he remembered back to last week, when he'd received it.

He'd been on a mission with Isabelle- one of the few agents who could put up with him- and who he could stand. It was to Tibet; aparently, someone was brewing some drug there that the preventers didn't want them to brew. Heero'd gone along as the brains, Belle as the brawn. It had been several years... but he'd never broken his vow not to fire any weopan again. Hence the need for Belle Rivers... aka Agent

For some reason, several people thought they were 'partners' in a romantic sense. There was only one person who didn't. Some monk at a monestary they passed through.

And Heero had no idea of the old man's name.

Heero closed his eyes as the memory came back.

**~Flashback~**

"Why the hell does everyone think I'd have sex with you?" Belle demanded, her gray eyes flashing.

"I should be insulted," Heero growled at her. "But since I feel the same about you... I'm not."

Belle made a rude noise, but then she turned contemplative. "I mean, Yuy, it's not like you're ugly or anything. It's just... I prefer my men with a little more humor, y'know? Not so hostile."

"And I..." Heero paused. He really didn't know what he preferred in his women. He liked Relena. She was beautiful, and she had a great personality for the most part... but he didn't want to have sex with her. The same for Belle. Her cool gray eyes, sleek black hair. She was trim, slender. Fit. And she could put up with him. Dish his crap right back to him. But he didn't want to have sex with her. So... did that mean that beautiful women with great personalities weren't his type? What was his type?

"Love has no flight-plan. It charts it's own course," came a voice from behind them.

"Wise words from a wise man?" Belle asked. The monk bowed to them.

"Your heart is pure, young lady. Love will come for you in time."

"Thought we were talking about sex?" she asked, non-plussed. None had ever accused her of having tact or a sense of decorum.

"Sex means little without love," was the reply. The monk looked at Heero.

"And you." Beady black eyes narrowed on him. "You are a magnet for emotions, son. They follow you, they seek you out. Both the good and the bad. They will destroy you in the end, if you can't find a way to balance them."

"And how do I do that?" Heero asked.

The monk removed a necklace, a simple leather thong with a small oval of polished wood on it, and placed it in Heero's hand.

"Only you know how," he said, then turned and left.

**~End Flashback~**

Heero turned the oval over once again, then on a whim, tied the thong around his neck and dropped the charm down his shirt.

What harm could it do?(2)

AN:1&2: One day, people are going to learn NOT to ask that?

This is a little on the short side, but it sets up for the rest of the story. So, hold of judgement for another chapter or so, kay? But please review anyway... I like to know people are reading.


	2. We Meet Again

**Chapter Two**

**We Meet Again**

Quatre sighed frustratedly as he listened to Felicia's droning on about... something. To be truthfully honest, he'd tuned out from his secretary's drabbling a good ten minutes ago. Mind half on his surroundings, half on her, Quatre was extremely bored. He'd hoped to maybe see a welcome face here. Sure, the gala was full of people he knew. He was CEO of WEI, of course he'd know everyone here. But none of them Quatre was interested in.

The gala for the Maxwell Orphanage was to help out his long time friend, struggling to re-open the orphanage on L2. But Duo was too busy overseeing some part of the construction of the actual orphanage to come to L4 for the 'ritzy party' as he put it. Duo would be here in two days time, though, to pick up his daughter, staying with Quatre for a few days for her lessons. And with Duo's absence, and Trinity absolutely refusing to attend the gala, Quatre was bored.

Oh, yes. He had a ton of work he could be doing. In addition to the usual things, the contracts, the mergers, the lawyers and such, he also had to replace his cheif of security. Rashid's sudden death had been hard on him, and with Rashid's death, the Mag's were not as on top of things as they usually were. It would be difficult finding someone to replace his friend and mentor. Impossible.

His sudden change of thought sent Quatre from bored to upset in the blink of an eye. Felicia blinked at the sudden change. Quatre had long since mastered the art of protecting himself from other's emotions, but somehow he still had difficulty protecting others from his emotions.

"Mister Winner, sir. Maybe... maybe we can continue this tomorrow? You seem to have alot on your mind."

He absently waved at her with a nod. Felicia knew not to take her boss's mood to heart. She knew that sometimes the Winner heir was simply depressed and nothing could change that. She also knew that she probably wouldn't see him for several days once that Maxwell girl left. When he went into a depression, he usually stayed away from contact for two or three days. But once he came back to work he was his usual cheerful self.

Used to, the spells only came once every three months or so. But since the loss of his Chief of Security, the spells came more frequently, at least one or more a month- except on the occasions that the Maxwell girl had an extended stay.

She turned to leave when she caught sight of him. He was tallish, maybe only an inch taller than her boss. And slender. Not boyish in figure, but slim and athletic, with strong shoulders and wiry muscles. His hair looked like it hadn't seen a brush in ages, but the black tux he wore was crisp and pressed. He turned slightly, and she was speared with a dark, deadly Prussian blue gaze. Eyes just a little upturned at the ends, skin a warm gold.

She immidiately knew him as Heero Yuy, one of the first ten people in her boss's personal contact list, one of the first ten people to get an invitation to any gala or event held by WEI, or by the Winner Family. Good. Maybe an old friend was just what her lovable boss needed to stave off his current depression.

She made a motion with her hand towards him, then stepped out of the way so he could see Quatre Winner still spaced out behind her. She held that dark gaze and let her eyes communicate her worries. She had her doubts that he would understand how worried she was, but he nodded once, almost imperceptibly.

Champagne glass firmly in hand, the golden skinned young man made his way forward, and Felicia scurried away, praying that she would see her boss smiling soon. Praying that somehow, disaster could be staved off.

~*~

Heero had no idea why the little brunette was staring at him, but he meet her gaze and glared. Surprisingly she held his eyes. There was... fear? Worry? Sadness? in her brown eyes. She made a gesture with her hand as she stepped to one side, and Heero saw a familiar blond behind her. The expression on his face was one of complete blankness. It was almost frightening to behold such a look on the face of his former comrade. He understood the worry in the girls eye's now. He nodded his understanding and made his way towards them. The brunette made herself scarce as he came closer.

"Winner." He said evenly as he reached his old friend, who still hadn't seemed to see him.

"Winner." He said again, a little louder, even waving his champagne glass in front of the blonde's face. Nothing.

"Zero Four, Report," he barked out the order. A couple near them jumped as did Quatre. The couple moved off as Quatre finally looked at him. Confusion flickered through those aquamarine orbs before understanding dawned.

"Heero. I'm sorry. I was.... just..." he fluttered his hand as explanation.

Heero nodded. And then, suddenly, the old Quatre was back. A brilliant smile that lit up his whole face.

"Heero. I'm surprised to see you. You've never accepted one of my invitations before."

"Une forced vacation on me," He replied.

Quatre smiled even more brightly. "Good. You'll end up like Wufei, having a breakdown, if you keep up like you were. I'm glad you're here. Duo couldn't be drug away from L2 today. And Trowa... he seems content to spend the rest of his days at the circus. Wufei, of course, cannot be imposed upon to do anything that isn't concerned with his work as a Preventer. It's good to see a friendly face," he finished quietly.

Heero nodded. He might not speak to his former comrades in arms, but he did keep tabs on them. At least, he used to. Things had slipped by him lately. Especially Trowa and Duo, the two lower profile of their band.

He'd only heard snippets about Duo, enough to know that he was reopening the orphanage on L2 where he'd been raised- the one that had been destroyed. Wufei had pushed away any attempt at 'friendship' and had thrown himself headlong into grueling mission after grueling mission, with only Heero- and/or Belle- occasionally called in to assist. Trowa, well, Trowa had it easy. He worked at the circus with his sister, but he did pop up from time to time to help with something, just to get the wanderlust and pent up frustrations out. The last he'd saw of Duo had been three years ago. He saw Wufei from time to time- in between their respective missions, and during joint ones. And it had been about a year since he'd last seen Trowa in person. And even longer since he's last seen the blond before him.

Quatre, Heero thought, had the worst of it. He had come to consider all four of the other pilots friends, but then, those friendships dissolved like sugar in water. Personally, Heero considered his four former teammates to be his only friends, even if he hadn't seen some of them in years.

Quatre smiled, a little dimmer now, but still brightly.

"So, Heero. What are you planning to do with all of your vacation? I heard about you and that mission in Tibet, so I'm assuming you're just beginning?"

"Affirmative," Heero nodded. "And... I don't know. It was Une's idea for me to come here." He shrugged. "I have no idea what to do. I've never take a 'vacation' before. At least not one a month long."

Quatre laughed, a light and merry sound amid the falseness of the surrounding people.

"I understand. Mirina has been after me to take a real vacation for some time now."

"Mirina?" Heero questioned. It was familiar, but Heero did not personally know her.

"My sister. Er, one of them. After Iria..." Quatre swallowed. "After the shuttle accident, Mirina and Yasmine both took it upon themselves to be the 'big sister' figures."

"Ah." Heero nodded. He was about to speak more when Quatre cursed softly.

"Damnit. Heero... I'm sorry. I have to go for a while. It's time for nightly lessons, and I've still got to find that little imp. Trinity is so much like her father."

~~~~~{*}~~~~~

AN: Sorry for being so short, but the next chapter will be longer, and the next chapter of Apathy will be out soon, too. Please let me know how ya'll are liking this. Please?


	3. Trinity

**Chapter Three**

**Trinity**

"Trinity?" Heero questioned.

Quatre blinked at him. "Yes. Duo's daughter. You have met her, right?"

"Duo's daughter?"

Quatre sighed. "Heero... you are parroting me and sounding just like Duo. You cannot tell me you did not know that two years ago, Duo adopted a little orphan and named her Trinity."

"I... I haven't spoken to Duo in three years," Heero admitted. "I didn't know about this. But... why does this girl have to come to you?"

Quatre paused a moment, as if considering how much to say, then decided on the truth. "Trinity is special. You and the other's know about my... peculiar talent... right?"

Heero nodded. "Empathy. You feel emotions. It's one of the new-type abilities."

Quatre nodded once. "I am an empath. So is Trinity. Only, she's a lot stronger than I am. She was nearly dead of emotional stress on L2 when Duo found her. She comes to see me about once or twice a month, and she's here now. I teach her how to cope with it. I teach her how to sheild herself. And in turn, she's brought a bit of life to this dull place. Having her and Duo here so often really brightens the place. She has everyone she's ever met wrapped around her little finger. And I guess it helps when you can tell what someone's feeling. Trinity is amazing at comforting people.

"Interesting," Heero murmured. But then Quatre was demurring again. "Heero, I am so sorry, but I really must go find her. How about breakfast in the morning? Do you have accommodations yet? Just find Abdul... you remember him, right?... on your way out and he'll set you up in one of the suites. I'll see you in the morning!"

And like that, he was gone. He made his way through the crowd, smiling and passing comments and compliments along his way.

He was outside of the ballroom when he was stopped.

"Quatre!"

He groaned, turning around.

"Michelle," he smiled though not the same smile he's shared with Heero.

"Quatre," she smiled brightly. Her brown hair shone like mahogany under the lights, her skin like warm honey, her eyes like glittering amber. The shimmery gold dress she wore draped down her slender, tall frame. She was beautiful... and she was after his money, he thought. "I wondered if you'd like to go out for breakfast or lunch tomorrow," she said. "We had such a good time last week, I thought it would be nice."

True, Quatre _had_ had a good time with her. More than the other twits he was set up with... but it didn't negate the fact that she was only in it for money and politics. Her father was a senator, and looking to further his own ends through marrying his only daughter off to Quatre Winner. It didn't matter if she seemed nice, it didn't matter if he thought he might actually be able to like her. She was a gold digger.

"I have other plans tomorrow," he said, a little snappier than he would have liked to sound. Her brown eyes narrowed, and she frowned.

"Another time, maybe?" she asked, smile wilting a little.

Quatre sighed, suddenly fed up with games.

"Michelle... I have no interest in marrying you. You can cease the game, for your father will not use me to climb the political ladder."

Her eyes flashed with hurt, tears building in the corners, sparkling trails down her cheek.

"That's mean, Quatre Winner," she said, her voice controlled, but tears present. "I may not be the smartest woman on the colony, nor the prettiest, nor any of that. But one thing I am not is cruel. I will admit I may be a tad vain- when you grow up pampered, you believe what people say about you. But I am not naive. Believe me when I say that I am not interested in you because of your money. Is it hard to believe that any woman would fantasize about you? Quatre, you are sweet and funny and kind and charming and intelligent. My father has his goals, but I assure you they are not the same as mine. I admit to being a romantic. I won't say that I couldn't care less about money and politics, because it would be a lie of course. But I am not some... some gold-digger. Your money is not the only reason I pursue you... nor is it the most prominent- not to me. I understand less than half of what goes on in what you do- and I don't really care about it. But I care about _you._ Believe me or not," she said, turning on her tears in a flush.

"Wait," Quatre reached out, grabbing her wrist. He felt horrible. He knew what she said was true. He could feel her heart simply _bleeding_ the hurt. "Listen, Michelle. I'm sorry. That was cruel... and untrue. I *do* have plans for tomorrow morning, but would you mind accompanying me to a dinner with Senator De Gavin instead?"

She blinked away her tears. "Truly? Isn't little Trinity going?" Whenever there was a tricky merger, meeting, or anything else... Trinity went. She was Quatre's 'good luck charm' so to speak.

Quatre nodded, thinking fast. "I have another friend joining me. He'll be more than happy to escort Trinity," he said, hoping that Heero didn't have other plans yet.

And speaking of plans... where was Trinity?

Having left the boring ballroom moments after the blond, Heero planted himself on the empty hillside, staring at the darkening sky above a remarkable view of Quatre's mansion. The hillside was made to resemble springtime on Earth, with flowers blooming around him. He closed his eyes, feeling the too fake breeze, smelling the diluted scent of the flowers, and was surprised he didn't hear her come up. One moment he was alone, and the next, she was there.

She looked maybe about four or five, but Heero guessed she was older and just tiny for her age. Her hair was honey gold ringlets bobbing around her tiny heart face. Amber eyes were soft and sweet. Her clothes were simple, a pale yellow sundress with sandles and a matching yellow ribbon in her hair. But he could tell they were all well made.

"Are you lost?" She asked, her voice soft and sweet. Heero blinked, a feeling of de ja vu overtaking him for a moment, but he pushed it away.

"Yeah," he replied softly. "I've been lost since the day I was born."

"That's sad," she said, dropping to her knees beside him, smoothing her skirt out primly. "Surely there's somewhere you belong? Surely you've been found sometime or another?"

Heero gave a bitter-sweet smile. "No. Not really."

The girl frowned for a moment, her face so sad, but then she smiled brightly at him. "I think you have. You might just not know it now, but you've found a place... somewhere to belong."

Heero turned his head, stared at the girl. She was staring right back, and Heero saw something familiar in those brown eyes. A sweetness, a darkness, a wisdom that seemed like he'd seen before.

"What makes you think that?" He asked, thinking back to the monk in Tibet and softly touching the oval of wood around his neck, under the tux. What was it with people and giving him cryptic advice?

Her only response was to smile a familiar smile. "I can tell," she said surely. "You don't have to be sad. You'll be alright."

Heero blinked. "Where's your parents?" He asked, wondering why a little girl was running around L4 by herself.

"Just me'n'my dad. He's on L2 right now. I'm staying with my uncle...."

"Trinity! Trinity! What have I told you about talking to strangers...."

Quatre had seen the yellow dressed girl from afar, sitting next to a shapeless blur of a human form. Only upon closer inspection had he noticed it was Heero.

"Heero," Quatre asked a bit confused.

Heero looked from his blond friend to the amber eyed child. Trinity? As in the girl who could sense emotions? Hmm.... that changed everything she said from childish rambling into something that bore more thought. And explained why that glint in her eyes and that smile were familiar. It was the same one Duo wore.

Trinity Maxwell looked from her adopted uncle to her new 'friend'.

"Uncle Quat's been lost, too," she said sagely.

"Huh?" Quatre, usually articulate, couldn't formulate a reply to that. "What are you talking about?"

She nodded to Heero. "He's lost. Just like you. Just like Daddy was... is," she corrected herself with a frown.

Quatre sighed. When you were six years old and were able to sense everyone's emotions, you picked up on things. And Trinity had made it her life's mission to eradicate all pain and sadness from her family's lives.

A tall order for such a small child.

"Trinity, it is time for lessons. Oh... and Heero, do you have plans for dinner tomorrow?"

"Not really," Heero shrugged. He had no plans for the next few weeks at all.

Quatre smiled. "Then how about you join a small dinner party I'm having with one of the senators tomorrow? Trinity's going, and I need an escort for her."

"Wait," Trinity stood up, tugging on Quatre's pants. "You were s'posed to be my escort. You're _always_ my escort."

"Darling, I've invited Michelle Vandiver. You like Michelle, right?"

Trinity shrugged. "She's nice," was the grudging reply, "But she's not meant for you," Trinity said.

"And how would you know?" Quatre asked.

"I just do," Trinity said. "She's okay and all... but you won't love her. She's not the best choice for you. There's a better match for you out there... and for her."

Heero blinked at the two, talking as if this type of thing was an everyday occurrence. But Heero was again reminded of the monk in Tibet, and he again rubbed the wooden oval through his shirt. Trinity looked up at him and smiled.

"You have a place you belong, and a reason to live. You might just not know it yet. Trust me." She held out her hand to Quatre. "We can go now."

Quatre just shrugged his shoulders to Heero. "I'll send Abdul to get you. See you at breakfast!"


	4. Charmed Changings

_**Chapter Four**_

_**Charmed Changing**_

Trinity didn't know it, but her words caused Heero to loose sleep that night. Could he really know where he belonged? Could he have already found that place, but not know it? As a result of all his thinking and pondering, when he showed up for breakfast, he looked a little worse for wear.

Trinity bounced up out of her seat before Quatre could tell her to stay seated. Today, it was a green sweater with a pair of very normal blue jeans. They seemed to match her personality just as much as the little yellow sundress had.

"Mister Heero!" She looped her tiny arms around him, hugging him, or rather hugging his legs.

"Good Morning, Trinity," Heero said as civily as possible. It amazed him that she wasn't frightened of him. Everyone was frightened of him. She was still so innocent, he wondered.

"Trinity," Quatre sighed. "Please let go of Heero so he can come eat. You can paw at him after breakfast. Oh, Heero, you don't mind coming to my dinner tonight, right? It's just a meeting with a senator I'm trying to convince to drop the anti-demilitarization bill. And Michelle... she's sweet. I couldn't say no to her."

"Yes you could have," Trinity piped up, wide amber eyes narrowing with dislike. "En and Oh. Really easy. She's not the one for you."

"And how do you know?" Quatre asked, humoring her. Heero had a feeling he 'humored' her quite alot. How could one help it?

"Because I *feel* it." she insisted.

"And do you know who's meant for me?"

Trinity fell quiet. "Yes," she whispered. Her eyes darted back and forth between the two adults. "I know who's meant for both of you," she added.

"And?" Quatre prompted. "Will you tell us who?"

"No," she said. "You have to figure it out yourself or it doesn't mean anything. If I tell you... then it won't be true anymore. Figuring it out is what makes it true."

Heero looked at Quatre after her little riddle. "Are you sure she's Maxwell's daughter?" he asked.

Quatre laughed. "If you'd ever spent alot of time with him, you'd learn that Duo's pretty deep when he wants to be. He and Trinity are more alike than you can imagine."

"I am sitting right here, you know? And Heero, you'll love dinner tonight. It's going to be soo.... fun!"

* * *

Fun.

Heero wasn't quite sure exactly what that term meant... but he was pretty sure that Trinity might have been being sarcastic with that remark.

Quatre had insisted he wear another tux, as Quatre himself had been wearing one. Quatre's date, the here-to-for mysterious Michelle turned out to be one of the incredibly beautiful but rather dim women that Heero had once thought Belle Rivers to be. Thankfully Belle turned out not to be so dim, but despite being close to Belle's overall shape and form, Michelle had 'clueless' down to an art. She had perfectly curled deep mahogany hair cascading from some intricate updo, and dark amber, almost chocolate colored eyes lined with sweeping mint colored eye shadow. Unlike Belle's tan skin that came from years of working under the sun, Michelle's skin was dark and natural, a perfect contrast for the emerald of the silken off-the-shoulder dress. She was sweet and nice, but Heero understood what Trinity said about her. He couldn't picture Quatre involved with someone so... so un-intelligent, someone who didn't understand the intricacies of politics or war or peace.

Trinity, on the other had, was the belle of the ball, so to speak. With her honey gold curls showcased by satin ribbons in a pale dusty pink. Her dress was the same dusty pink, a rather fluffy thing with a scoop neckline and pretty pearl beading on the bodice. Not only was she- in Quatre and Heero's opinions at least- the prettiest one at dinner, but she also stole the show. Heero could understand now how Quatre thought of the girl as a lucky charm. She could wrap just about anyone around her pinky finger, and better yet, she was smart as a whip and easily opened up the senator's mind to the positive sides of the demilitarization.

It was quite amusing to watch Trinity talking to the senator. To the senator, she'd seem like just a sweet, charming little girl, but Heero could see how she manipulated him using that false front.

A quiet, "I *like* peace," here, and a charming "But... if there are weapons, someone'll use them right? How could you stop them?". Add that to Quatre's smooth, "The first step to changing an attitude is to chance your environment, your lifestyle. You can't believe that peace will last if you still horde weapons of war."

Heero could almost chuckle at the sight the two of them made, playing the senator like a finely tuned instrument.

After the dinner... during which the senator avidly began to agree with Quatre's line of thinking... Quatre gave Michelle a rather chaste goodnight kiss and informed her that he'd promised Trinity to spend the night with her. As the woman walked away, Quatre swept the little girl up.

"Brilliant!" He declared. "The best to date, wouldn't you agree, Trin?"  
The girl laughed. "That was fun."

Quatre raised his eyes, and aqua met sapphire over top of Trinity's head. "So, Heero? What did you think of dinner?"

Heero finally let a small smirk slip. "It was like watching mind-control. How do you two do that?"

Quatre laughed, the sound musical in the early night air. "We discovered that completely by accident, really. See why I have to have Trinity here during these meetings? I think I could let her have complete run of the company... and we'd actually become greater. She will make an amazing diplomat one day, wouldn't you agree?"

Heero nodded slightly. "It's like watching Relena all over agin," he commented quietly.

"Except less naive and less annoying, hmm?" Quatre grinned.

"Agreed," Heero replied. "And I doubt even Relena had this child's charisma at such an early age."

Trinity was preening in the compliments... even if she wasn't sure who this Relena person was. She understood much more than most her age, and Quatre and her father put it down to going from being in so much pain to abruptly *not*. It had opened up an expansive mind and, freed from the oppression of other people's emotions and personalities, she'd found herself to be curious, inquisitive... and intelligent. Willing to learn, and she assimilated what she learned quickly.

"I think," Quatre looked at her, "that such a performance deserves a reward. What do you think of ice-cream?"

The girl beamed, but shook her head. "I *like* ice-cream, but I wanna play!"

Quatre groaned. "Really? But, Trin...."

"No. I wanna play."

"Okay," he sighed. "Let's go change clothes, then we'll play," he said. Trinity let out a 'whoop', then struggled down and bounded inside.

"Play?" Heero asked. "Play what?"

"Oh, just a game," Quatre waved his hand. "You're welcome to join us... it actually might by just your type of game, really. Just remember not to underestimate her."

* * *

Almost twenty minutes later, Quatre lead him to a private gym, complete with a sparring mat. Trinity was standing here, hands on hips, glaring- such a female sign of annoyance at their tardiness. She was dressed in loose cotton pants and a T-shirt. Quatre and He were wearing sweats and T-shirts.

Trinity abruptly stopped glaring, and started grinning. "Oh, Mr. Heero are you gonna play, too?"

He shrugged. He still wasn't quite sure what the game was.

"Go easy on him, Trin," Quatre said with a chuckle. "Heero, the rules are... you try to catch her. It's a little self-defense game me and Duo play with her. She's quite skilled... she did grow up on the L2 streets," he whispered quietly. "But me and Duo like to make sure she can handle herself if something ever happened. So... you try to catch her, like the bad guy. And she sees if she can escape. Think you can handle that?"

Heero examined the girl waiting in front of him. She barely reached past his waist, and she was slender as a twig. He would have to be careful not to hurt her.

"Ninmu Ryoukai," he stated, then stalked the girl.

Quatre could barely contain his smirk. He played his fingers almost nervously over his lips, trying to smooth out the smile. Heero noticed this, but didn't pay much attention to it. If he knew what was going through Quatre's devious little mind, he would have been worried.... very worried.

As it was, he couldn't read minds, so he stalked the little girl. She dodged right, and he barely missed snatching ahold of her shirt. She made to dodge right again, but when Heero anticipated the move, she feinted and dove towards his left, narrowly escaping his grasping hands.

She giggled as she dodged him twice more, even going so far as to dive under his legs and scramble away behind him.

Quatre had given up trying not to smile and instead let the smirk stay, knowing what would happen. Heero's first mistake had been to underestimate the girl's speed and intelligence... it would be nice to see the 'perfect soldier' outwitted and brought to his knees by a little girl. Finally, after two surprising minutes- Quatre was surprised that Trin had lasted that long. Heero must be going very, very, very easy on her. Heero managed to grab her arms. He lifted her by her upper arms, until he could look her in the face.

"You evaded me very well," he complimented her. "You are surprisingly graceful and smart for your age."

Simply hanging there, not struggling, Trinity sent him a blinding smile. "I'm even smarter than you think. Checkmate," she beamed.

Before Heero could comprehend the statement, much less ponder it's meaning, he dropped the girl. She landed lightly on her feet as Heero stumbled, dropped to his knees as he clutched at his groin. Quatre was laughing loudly as the blood drained from Heero's face.

Trinity smiled brightly before reaching out and simply pushing Heero's should with one finger. He keeled over backwards, still in imense pain and shock. "I win," Trinity laughed and ran to Quatre.

"Well done, Trinity."

"Wh....What the hell?" Heero gasped, trying to sit up, staring at the pair. Trinity sat on Quatre hip, smiling, and Quatre was still chuckling.

"The look on your face was priceless," Quatre said. "Imagine the great Heero Yuy, Savior of the Colonies... reduced to tears and being beaten in a sparring match by a six year old girl!"

"She cheated," Heero managed. "That was below the belt."

Quatre shrugged. "No-one ever specified weather below the belt was legal or not. I always tell her beforehand *not* to do that."

"What kind of people are you? Teaching little girls to do that?"

"We didn't teach her.... she learned it before we found her. She's gotta be ruthless. If you'd have been the bad guy for real... " Quatre shrugged, but didn't finish. he didn't have to. Both adults knew what would happen if a six year old girl was caught by the wrong type of people.

"Can we play again?" Trinity asked with a pleading smile.

"Sure," Quatre agreed. "We'll let Heero sit this one out, though. Me'n' you'll go around. And *no* below the belt hits, alright?"

"Okay. Can we practice hitting, though? That's fun!"

"Alright. We'll go back over weak spots, kay? Can you remember how to...."

TBC............


	5. The Bunny Assasin

AN: Dedicated with much love to Primavera15 (aka Vicky) for helping me out with the 'bunny assasin' idea. Huggles, girl!

_**Empathy**_

_**Chapter Five**_

_**The Bunny Assasin**_

"It will take this course," the man stated, tapping the flight plan on the computer screen. "We can intercept here. We're smaller, but we're faster and have better fire-power. With the advantage of a surprise attack, it will be easy."

"It's just a private cruiser, Brag." One of the men behind him piped up. "The 'Rio Grande' will be heading from L3 to L4. It would make sense to hit it. Larger payoff to hit the luxery liner. More people with more things."

Brag nodded, as that was a valid point. "Noted, but we're not after the loot this time. We're after a hostage. This cruiser is the *private* Winner family shuttle. Now we don't know for certain that *the* Winner will be onboard... but if he is then all the better. But you can rest assured that that ship won't go anywhere without *a* Winner onboard, or at least someone else of very *very* important standing."

The gathered men nodded. Their boss's plan made sense. And well... he was the boss.

None of *them* were going to argue.

~*~*~*~

"Up you go!" Quatre hooked his arms under those of the girl, and lifted, tossing her through the air to land gently on the bed... both giggling madly the whole time. Trinity laughed, bouncing around until she could shimmy under the covers.

Quatre grabbed one of the fluffy white stuffed bunnies that almost littered the room- she was here often enough that this room was hers and hers alone, and thus decorated with dozens of stuffed animals- and he settled it down beside her.

"Okay. Want a chapter tonight?"

"Yes, please!" she said happily. She was still very hyper from their earlier sparing session. A normal person would think that a six year old would be tired and fall right asleep... but no. The truth, according to Quatre, was that six year olds had limitless energy. Something *he* didn't.

"Alright. What do you want me to read you?"

She shook her head, amber eyes twinkling. "I want Mister Heero to read it!"

"Trinity, Heero likely has other things he needs to do. You cannot monopolize the time of someone you've just met."

The girl pouted, her eyes dimming just a bit.

"But I *like* Mister Heero. He reminds me of Daddy."

Quatre almost didn't manage to hold his laughter in. That had to be the first time in history anyone compared Duo Maxwell and Heero Yuy and said they were anything alike.

"Why do you say that?" He asked, instead.

"They *feel* the same. Just like you. He's.... comfortable. *And* he's not loud."

Quatre nodded, knowing she didn't mean he didn't talk loud, but that his emotions weren't loud. Quatre had noted the same thing years ago. It was one of the things that had first drawn him to the Wing pilot. Truth be known, it was also why he'd often sought out Trowa's company, too. Quatre could let his guard down around them, without suffering through the torrent of emotions most people broadcast.

"Okay," he said softly, knowing it was pointless to argue with the mini-Duo. "I'll go *ask* Heero."

"Okay," she returned cheerfully, snuggling down as Quatre walked out of the room.

A minute later, the blond businessman found the object of his search in the library, glancing across titles of books.

"Heero?"

"Yes?"

"I know you probably wouldn't want to, but I promised her I'd ask... Trinity wants to know if you'll read her a bedtime story. If you don't, then I'll just...."

"Okay," Heero shrugged, the movement pulling the T-shirt tight against his shoulders.

Quatre blinked. "You... want to?"

"I guess. That child is something special. Do you realize how often I have been beaten in sparring matches?"

"Not often, I'd hazard."

Heero smirked. "No. Not often at all. Very rarely... and here I've been laid low by a mere girl-child; I underestimated her, and she showed me what happens when you underestimate your opponent... even if they are half your size. She is very special, and if she wants a story, then I will acquiesce."

"Um, okay. When you put it that way. I'll show you through to her room."

A few minutes later, Trinity looked up at Heero with a blinding smile.

"Mister Heero!" She bounced up on her knees when he came close enough, and gave him a quick hug before bounding back under the covers. Heero looked dumbstruck for a moment, but then moved on.

"Okay, little lady. What do you want me to read to you?"

She pointed to a stack of books on the bedside table, under the lamp that illuminated the room. "Eclipse. I think it's Chapter Twenty-six where we stopped."

Heero took the aged book, noting that there were several unrelated books lying in the stack, each with a book mark peeking from various different points. Heero smiled. No children's books here. It looked like Eclipse was the youngest aged book there, piled up with classic titles he knew like Pride and Prejudice, Moby Dick, Acorna's Quest(1) and The Hunchback of Notre' Dame... and titles he didn't recognize like Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy, Tricksters, and what looked like a compilation of poems.

"Just one chapter?"

Trinity nodded. 'Yup. Except for when we read James Patterson. 'Cause his chapters are usually WAY to short."

"Hm. Okay, then... Chapter Twenty-six...."

Heero kept his eyes on Trinity as he read. By the time he reached the last sentence of the chapter, she was already deep asleep. He replaced the bookmark at Chapter Twenty Seven, and set the book back on the beside table. He pulled the covers up slightly, and went to turn out the lamp.

"Ow," he muttered crossly as something hit his head. He looked at the thing on the floor. It was pink with a yellow tummy and ears... and it was fuzzy.... and it stared up at him with glassy brown eyes. Floppy ears twisted this way and that, and a bright purple bow adorned the thing's neck. Glancing around the room for the first time, Heero noticed the room was covered in animals of every kind. But there were lots of cats... and bunny rabbits.

He reached down to pick up the fuzzy pink bunny, then almost cursed when the sharp cut edge of the brown eye pinched his finger. He glared at it, holding the thing at arms length by the bow.

How any one could think this thing was cute was beyond him.

"You are one ugly bunny," he told the gaudy thing... the bunny just stared back at him. It's ear fell to the side, pulling it's head sideways.

Heero's eyes narrowed. "Omae o korosu," he threatened it, glaring.

The bunny just stared back.

Heero sighed, then replaced the creature back on the shelf above his head... where it had tumbled from. Maybe Une was right... or maybe what he really needed was a padded cell and straight jacket.

He really did need a vacation or *something* if he was talking to stuffed pink bunnies.


	6. Civilized Company

_**Empathy**_

_**Chapter Six**_

_**Civilized Company**_

The chestnut haired man was beaming brightly as he slipped through the empty corridors of the mansion. He'd managed to wrangle free of his last meeting- or rather, the government of L2 had postponed the meeting.... again. And pushing his little shuttle as fast as she'd go... which was pretty fast thanks to his own little... tweaks.... he was here much earlier than planned.

He'd passed by the practice room and the bedrooms, but found no sight of either one of the people he was looking for. That left only the garden. It was her favorite place on the Winner estates.

He made his way down the familiar hallways, through doors that he'd gone through countless times before. In pursuit of his daughter, he chuckled at the sound of bright laughter and giggling coming from out the open French doors ahead of him.

He walked out of the house into the garden, and paused... dumbstruck for a moment.

Duo Maxwell, very rarely speechless, could only blink on the scene before him; it was very, very far from the image he'd expected. His blond 'brother' was nowhere in sight... but his daughter was. Trinity was there in her jeans and a pink sweater giggling maddly, and was that... Heero Yuy?... tossing her up in the air?

"Um... have I missed something here?" He questioned.

"Daddy!"

Her eyes fell on her father and she simply glowed with happiness. She squirmed until Heero put her down, where she promptly ran into her father's waiting arms. One day, he expected she'd be able to tell where he was before he was this close; but she was young yet so he still got to surprise her like this... sometimes, at least.

"Missed you, darlin'," he said into her hair.

"Missed you, too, Daddy," she said. "This is Mister Heero. He's Uncle Quatre's friend! I *like* him," she stated as if that was the highest compliment ever. And considering her background... maybe it was.

Duo looked over her head at his former partner as he settled his daughter on his hip with practice and ease. Cold Prussian blue eyes met his steadily, but there was a small trace of... something... there that hadn't been there years ago. That same something he saw right after Trinity entranced someone new. So her charm worked even on stoic perfect soldiers, eh?

"Heero," Duo nodded, still a little wary. He'd seen this guy set his own leg before... and here the man was tossing his daughter into the air. Parental fear was enough to temper the tentative friendship he'd once shared with the man.

"Maxwell. It's been awhile."

Well, Duo guessed it was too much to ask for Heero to suddenly be nice.

"It has," he agreed. "Last I heard, you were on Earth, engaged to Relentless."

"Her name is Relena," he corrected, but with no trace of love for that girl in his voice. "And I have not nor will I ever be engaged to her. You were misinformed."

Duo laughed. "Yeah. Well then, I guess all those tabloids and newspapers were misinformed, as well, huh?"

"Daddy, don't be mean," the girl admonished, placing a hand on his cheek so that he looked at her and nothing else. She spoke slowly, almost as if talking to a child. "Mister Heero's very nice. And from what I've heard, I don't think I like this Miss Relena lady."

Duo laughed again. "Don't worry, darlin'. Mister Heero know's I'm just joking. I've been teasing him about *Miss* Relena for years now."

She nodded, as this answer satisfied her somewhat. It was tough work for a little girl to make sure her daddy stayed civilized. But if Mister Heero already knew how her daddy acted... well then, that was okay.

"Miss Maxwell, Mr. Yuy..." The servant that steped out of the house looked at the two, then at Duo. "Lunch is served in the garden today. Mister Winner requests that you join him. Should I inform him of your presence, Mister Maxwell?"

Trinity and Duo nodded first, used to this after years of staying at the mansion. Duo added a 'please do' to his nod. Heero just nodded weakly after the fact. It did no good to argue.

"So what brings you out out from under your rock?" Duo asked, nimbly dodging the soft smack Trinity aimed at his head for his lack of tact.

Heero shrugged. "Une forced me to take paid leave. Vacation."

"Aha. So you automatically searched for Quatre?"

"In a manner of speaking. I had nothing to do, and I wanted to see space again. I had an invitation to the Gala. I came." He shrugged again.

Duo sighed. A few more words than usual, but not many. But what could Duo expect? The man was partners with Chang Wufei- the cruelest man on Earth... or in the colonies, for that matter. Duo had once considered him a friend... maybe the best friend he had besides Hilde and Quatre. But apparently Wufei hadn't felt the same way.

His eyes unconsciously narrowed and he frowned at the thought, his arm unknowingly tightening just a bit around his daughter... the daughter Wufei had thought he would kill. He rarely thought about it... but the scar lingered and was still painful.

Trinity placed her hand back on his cheek, and Heero's keen eyes noticed the scene playing out. Hadn't she said something about Duo being lost? Was this what she meant? That far-off, pained look in his eyes?

Did he have that look in his eyes as well?

"Breathe," the girl ordered softly. Out of habit, Duo obeyed the small voice. He blinked... and the look was gone, pushed back, covered and hidden. He smiled at the girl, who just frowned at him.

"What was wrong, Daddy?" Trinity questioned.

"Just thinking, babe. Hey, 'Ro? What's that anal-retentive partner of yours up to?"

Heero blinked, a bit confused. "Belle Rivers is still on active duty. Last she reported, she was in Buenos Aries."

Duo chuckled. "The other one. Y'know? 'This is INJUSTICE!'" he mocked the tone, and Heero saw the scorn and contempt behind those violet eyes, the pain quickly covered by that jester's mask.

Had Duo and Wufei had an argument sometime? The last time Heero'd checked, they were still friends. But that was several years ago. Hn. Maybe he would find time to ask Quatre; he didn't think asking Duo would be very.... tactful.

Heero frowned. "Chang is fine, I assume. It has been a while since I last checked in with him. The majority of my missions have me either alone, or paired with Belle Rivers."

"Ah." Duo said, and Heero couldn't read the emotions flickering behind indigo eyes.

Trinity tapped Duo's shoulder.

"Daddy, I think we should wash up before lunch." She sniffed at his neck, then wrinkled her nose. "You stink. Didn't you shower before you got on Cherish?"

Duo chuckled. "No, mother hen. I didn't have time. My meeting with Counselor Ramos was cancelled... after I'd already made it to the Council's HQ. I went straight to the port, so that I could surprise you, dear."

She smiled sweetly. "I'm glad you did," she said, hugging him. "Can we go wash now? Oh, And do you want to join us tonight? Mister Heero's going to show me pressure points."

Duo blinked, then grinned wickedly and looked up at Heero. The former Wing pilot shifted uncomfortably under the gaze. He had the feeling Duo knew *exactly* what had happened the night before.

"Don't ask," Heero ordered, adding a death glare to go along with it.

Duo just laughed.

TBC............

~*~*~*~

AN: (1) Acorna's Quest is by Anne McCaffery, and is far from being a classic along the lines of P&P or Moby Dick. I have inserted it here, because I think it is an amazing series and may one day be considered a classic. Tricksters is the double edition featuring Trickster's Choice and Trickster's Queen- both by Tamora Pierce. Hitchhiker is of course by Douglas Addams. (LOL, I can just imagine the pilots having a laugh over that book!)


End file.
